Tuesday October 21, 2008
Nearly fifty drug abusers waited for their names to be called in the overcrowded Drug Court in Syracuse this afternoon. No two cases were alike. Young, old, black, white, male, female - even children were packed into the room awaiting the judge.
As the presiding Judge Jeffrey Merrill walked into the court room, it was clear by his demeanor that he was going to be firm in his rulings. "You go into state prison for doing the same bullsh**t that you're doing.” he said to an addict. “The only person you are going to screw is yourself."
The drug court in Onondaga County started nearly eleven years ago and currently serves more than 300 addicts, making it one of the largest drug courts in New York State. The court is designed to lower recidivism rates and eliminate addiction by providing participants with the option of signing a contact in which they agree to a series of rehabilitation programs and strict judicial monitoring in exchange for a clean record.
Rulings ranged from a simple “continue the good work” for addicts who were following the rules, to a sentence of six years in state prison for cases involving addiction and non-addicted possession.
Nearly fifty drug abusers waited for their names to be called in the overcrowded Drug Court in Syracuse this afternoon. No two cases were alike. Young, old, black, white, male, female - even children were packed into the room awaiting the judge.
As the presiding Judge Jeffrey Merrill walked into the court room, it was clear by his demeanor that he was going to be firm in his rulings. "You go into state prison for doing the same bullsh**t that you're doing.” he said to an addict. “The only person you are going to screw is yourself."
The drug court in Onondaga County started nearly eleven years ago and currently serves more than 300 addicts, making it one of the largest drug courts in New York State. The court is designed to lower recidivism rates and eliminate addiction by providing participants with the option of signing a contact in which they agree to a series of rehabilitation programs and strict judicial monitoring in exchange for a clean record.
Rulings ranged from a simple “continue the good work” for addicts who were following the rules, to a sentence of six years in state prison for cases involving addiction and non-addicted possession.
Judge Merrill and Court Coordinator Kim Kozlowski spoke to a group of student reporters after the proceedings.
When asked about recidivism rates of drug abusers in the county, Kozlowski said that 6 out of 10 addicts in the rehabilitation programs make it through and do not relapse.
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